BEST START GRANT TO COME INTO FORCE FOR CHRISTMAS LOWER-INCOME FAMILIES IN CUNNINGHAME SOUTH TO BENEFIT FROM EARLY PAYMENT SNP MSP Ruth Maguire has welcomed the announcement that the first payments of the Best Start Grant will be delivered to families in the Irvine, Kilwinning and Stevenson areas in time for Christmas.  The Best Start... Continue Reading →

Cunninghame South MSP Ruth Maguire was needled by health campaigners this week – but it was all in the cause of learning first-hand how our local pharmacies can help deliver a vital health service to the public more effectively. Unlike in England, highly qualified pharmacists are unable to administer flu vaccinations for the NHS –... Continue Reading →

This week Ruth visited met with folk from Broomlands and Bourtreehill at Age Concern’s local centre in Irvine, including Jayne Armour, Action on Hearing Loss Scotland’s Welfare Rights Officer and Betty Weir, Age Concern Bourtreehill chairperson. On Tuesday, Ruth spoke as Convener of the Equalities and Human Rights Committee in a debate on the Age... Continue Reading →

RUTH MAGUIRE MSP URGES OLDER CONSTITUENTS WITH HEARING LOSS TO DROP IN TO AGE CONCERN BOURTREEHILL Ruth Maguire MSP is urging older people in Broomlands and Bourtreehill who have hearing loss to pop in to Age Concern’s local centre to enjoy a cuppa, participate in the group’s recreational activities and get informed about social security... Continue Reading →

MSP 'SENT TO PRISON' REPORTS ON EXPERIENCE LOGISTICS AND COST OF FAMILY PRISON VISITS HIGHLIGHTED The challenges faced by families affected by imprisonment were highlighted at an event in the Scottish Parliament this week when Ruth Maguire SNP MSP for Cunninghame South spoke about her visit to HMP Kilmarnock. Ruth was sent to prison as... Continue Reading →

Irvine Times column, 13 November 2018 This week saw the Scottish Government adopting recommendations to promote an inclusive approach to sex and relationships education in our schools, while tackling LGBTI bullying and discrimination. All state schools will now have to teach equality and inclusion, and to tackle homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and other prejudices in relation... Continue Reading →

On Tuesday, Ruth watched a special screening of the documentary Nae Pasaran! at the Scottish Parliament, which tells the remarkable true story of the Scottish Rolls-Royce workers who managed to ground half of Chile's Air Force in the 1970s. At Portfolio Question Time on Wednesday, Ruth asked the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Derek Mackay, how... Continue Reading →

CHRISTMAS SHOPPERS GET HELP TO AVOID FRAUDSTERS MSP HOST SCAM AWARENESS SURGERY Canny Christmas shoppers are being invited to a special surgery organised by Ruth Maguire MSP to help them avoid falling for scams. The surgery is being held on Black Friday, 23 November, which marks the unofficial start of the Christmas shopping season when... Continue Reading →

Irvine Times column, 6 November 2018 Delivering his budget last week the Chancellor of the Exchequer stated that ‘austerity is coming to an end’, a statement which sadly did not bear up to scrutiny. The disastrous Universal Credit continues, the concerns of the WASPI women have been ignored, there was no progress on the Ayrshire... Continue Reading →

Following the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Budget announcement on Monday, Ruth asked Derek Mackay, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, just how far the UK Government's promises on health funding consequentials have fallen from their NHS funding announcement just four months ago:   On the same day, Ruth contributed to a Member's Business Debate discussing a Ban... Continue Reading →